Pete Postlethwaite dies Aged 64 (RIP 1946

Well working days are back to normality today however I got a little bonus of an early finish due to it been a bank holiday and after spending the remainder of my christmas I head back home to kick off todays postings and sadly start with some sad news that actor Pete Postlethwaite has died at the age of 64.Its sad that 2011 is only 3 days old and already one of Britians much loved hard working talents has sadly been taken from us after a long battle with cancer and he died peacefully at a shropshire hospital according to close friend Andrew Richardson who annouced his friends death to the British media.

Postlethwaite was that actor who could comand an audience from his chisled like features down to his performances which varied in style in emotion able to show a real humane, integrity and vulnerabilty with such ease. It all started for him at Bristol Old Vic theathre school after thoughts of been a priest then as a PE Teacher but he ended up teaching art at Loreto College before heading to Bristol to learn drama. It was at the school where a teacher said he had a face like a ‘stone archway’and he couldnt go wrong and later years it was a saying that Postlethwaite himself later agreed with. But it was his time at The Everyman Theatre in Liverpool alongside Bill Nighy (Sean Of The Dead)& Julie Walters(Harry Potter Franchise) he would launch himself as a fully fledged ,

“(He was) a rare and remarkable man… I was honoured by his friendship – he is irreplaceable.” Bill Nighy told the BBC

Like many good actors there’s always one time in their careers that they act in Shakespeare play and Postlethwaite was an veteren of the Royal Shakespeare Company with the actor plaing in many of the bards works more demanding roles with a acclaimed challenging performance as King Lear.

Like many stage actors its only a matter of time the challenge of television & film beckons and Postlethwaite made guest appearances in Coronation Street, Minder and Play For The today but it was the big screen that many people would recognise the actor more as the character actor. Ridley Scott gave him his first role a small one in The Duellists, but there was also parts in A Private Function and Distant Voices, Still Lives which really showed of the talents of the actor. The parts never stopped coming David Fincher’s Alien3 , The Last Of The Mochians which helped him make sure Hollywood was siting up and watching him and In The Name of The Father helped him gain a oscar nomination with his role as Guiseppe Conlan. But there was one role which was the catyalst breakthrough in his Hollywood career that of Mr Kobayahshi the lawyer & enforcer of the mysterious Keyser Söze in the brilliant cult classic thriller Usual Suspects.

Despite having a sucessfull time in Hollywood the northern actor never forgot his British roots and starred in many acclaimed British movies Brassed Off, A Private Function, Distant Voices and Still Lives. There was also the small matter back in Hollywood working with Steven Spielberg in Jurassic Park:Lost World along with Amistad and the American director describes Postlethwaite “As the best actor in the world”. Postlethwaite also work more recently in Solomane Kane, The Town, Clash Of The Titans, Inception and April 1st will see the release of Killing Bono which sadly now be his final appearance.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Pete Postlethwaite’s family, rest in peace.